Latin American History

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Jesse A. Pinzon

Latin American History

Professor Sordo

4/3/15

Essay #3

In The Underdogs, Azuela presents a few noteworthy leaders that powerfully represent the start of the Mexican Revolution. The primary character is Demetrio Macias, an instinctive, easy-going Indian who finds himself obligated to join the revolutionaries to protect his family. Another of revolutionary leaders was Venustiano Carranza, a male of righteous life, great values, and a member of the aristocracy who was derived from the assertive Spanish race. Lastly, Francisco Pancho Villa, the most preeminent leader Mexico of in recent past. Villa developed a completely innovative system of warfare that was astounding. Confidentiality, alertness of action, the adjustment of his strategies to the character of the nation and of his armed forces, the importance of close associations with the rank and file, and of fabricating a practice between the adversary that his armed forces is unbeatable, and that he himself endures a fortunate life. These are some of the characteristics of the greatest leader of Mexico, Pancho Villa.

To begin, the primary character of the novel, Demetrio Macias, and his men embody the peasant paramilitary armies in the revolution. Macias’s men begin fighting Huerta’s troops, the Federales, who are vulgarly introduced as mochos and pelones and end up joining with Villa and

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fighting the Carrancistas whom they call carranclanes.^[1] In the novel, Macias’s troops are barely armed for the struggle with the battle against Huerta’s Federales.^[2] To reassure them Macias describes the courage and creativeness of other rebels. This appeal to their self-importance is efficient and his men willingly react to the challenge.^[3] Macias exposes his misperception and apathy concerning major revolutionary judgements. If in the first occurrence he joined the revolution for the reason that the Federal troops were beginning to hunt him down at the request of a landlord, now he continues to battle because his authoritative colonel tells him that “the ball keeps rolling.”^[4] Macias might fail, but as the novel finishes he remains figuratively at his post well prepared for those who will come after him to carry on the battle.^[5]

As soon as the Madero Revolution broke out Venustiano Carranza approached the battle grounds in truly primitive manner. He provided the peons who worked upon his great estates, and guided them to combat like any medieval overlord; and, once the Revolution was finished, Madero made him Chief of Coahuila.^[6] Carranza announced a declaration calling the Mexican society to arms, declaring himself First Chief of the Revolution.^[7] Then he treaded out from his capital and took the field, where he helped in the initial combat nearby Torreon. Northern Mexico was Constitutionalist area nearly from ocean to ocean, and Pancho Villa, with a heavily equipped and well-organized force of 10,000 men, entered the Torreon battle.^[8] Entirely this was